Within the gay subculture, some men are referred to as “tops” while others as “bottoms” (the active versus passive role in anal sex). A recent study finds that the role that a gay man identifies as being (top or bottom) is linked to the size of his penis.

In the most recent episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the irreverent host challenged Tavis Smiley's breathtaking capacity to draw hallucinatory moral equivalences between American values and those found in other cultures.

Egalitarianism as implied by the socialist ethos is either wonderfully just or brutishly punitive depending on whether you are a net beneficiary of such a system or not. Furthermore, socialism is differentially attractive depending on whether you are a social ant or a human!

Celebrities are oftentimes the targets of delusional and obsessive romantic overtures from crazed fans, a form of erotomania. Congruent with evolutionary theory, male and female erotomaniacs display sex-specific preferences in their "love" targets.

Of say 1,000 distinct Gods, an atheist believes in none whereas a highly religious person disbelieves in 999 Gods other than the "one true" God. It would seem that atheists and the religious are almost perfectly united in their non-belief.

Gentlemen: If you are about to approach a woman to ask for her phone number, she's more likely to offer it if a romantic song has just played in the background. Pray for a song by The Delfonics, as they are likely to deliver!

"When you're in love with a beautiful woman, it's hard." These classic lyrics from a 1979 song by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show were recently validated in a study linking a woman's estradiol level to her penchant to stray.

We are constantly told that men are "shallow" because they place such undue attention on women's looks. Not surprisingly, women are as "superficial" in their evaluation of men's looks. Gentlemen: the car that you drive will determine how good-looking you're perceived to be.

A recent study of Disney films finds that physically attractive characters are ascribed more positive qualities than their less attractive counterparts. Hence, it would seem that the what-is-beautiful-is-good effect is operative within the Disney realm.

If you are in a depressed mood, are you more or less likely to expend effort when making a decision? The findings might surprise you.&nbsp;On a separate note, I recently celebrated two years as a PT blogger…1,024,000 hits later…thank you for the readership!

If you were offered $5,000,000 to play Russian roulette with a six-chamber gun wherein only one of the chambers was loaded with a live bullet, would you accept it? Would you accept it for $10,000,000? What would the odds of dying have to be for you to accept to play such a macabre game for the $5,000,000 jackpot (e.g., 1 in 10,000; 1 in 1,000,000)?

Here is something much more barbaric than the death penalty: Believing that there are no contexts under which an individual forgoes his right to live. To sublimate our instinctual need for the harshest form of retribution (only to be meted out on the most heinous of criminals) might be the ultimate barbaric act.

It is often said that a handshake says a lot about an individual. If so, does handgrip strength have anything to do with reading this nonverbal cue? A recent study sheds light on the matter by exploring the relationship between handgrip strength and sensation seeking (e.g., BASE jumping).

In a supposed meritocracy such as the military, one might assume that an individual's facial features should not be predictive of the likelihood of attaining the most senior military ranks. It turns out that a military cadet's face carries some weight in determining whether the soldier in question will attain the rank of Colonel or General. It seems that we want our warriors and military leaders to look the part.

An important determinant of individuals' health is their position within the occupational status hierarchy. One might think that higher-status jobs (e.g., corporate lawyer, CEO of a large firm) are inherently more stressful and as such individuals who hold such positions are more likely to succumb to job-related ill effects. A large body of research has found the exact opposite link.

Men constitute the great majority of very high-end art collectors. Since there is no shortage of very wealthy women who are otherwise capable of paying lavish sums for art pieces, why the male bias? It's all about sexual signaling! Hey ladies: I am so wealthy that I can "waste" $140 million on a Jackson Pollock painting. In the immortal words of the Notorious B.I.G., "I love it when you call me big poppa"!

Yes, it's a diamond-studded Mercedes! Bling-Bling taken to new heights. The great majority of brands that are mentioned in song lyrics involve such displays of conspicuous wealth, demonstrating that songs are valuable in investigating the attributes that men and women desire in prospective partners.&nbsp;

One of the greatest obstacles to maintaining a healthy weight is our innate penchant for food variety. For example, if individuals are offered the same amount of candies but in one case all in one color and in the second instance in multiple colors, consumption will be greater in the multicolor condition even though the colorant has no effect on the candies' taste, smell, or texture.